“Mother’s Day” by Daisy Zamora

In “Mother’s Day,” Nicaraguan poet Daisy Zamora eloquently expresses the dilemma of being a mother today, especially one who makes unconventional choices. Contrasting herself with one of those “pretty mothers in [advertisements], complete with adoring husband and happy children…always smiling,” she has been instead, a voyager. Her journey, often stormy and perilous, is undertaken not only for herself, but also for her children and their future—for the “distant port” they will find one day.

One of Nicaragua’s most distinguished poets, Zamora has been widely anthologized. Her poems and essays have been translated into more than 14 languages. During the 1970s, she fought against the Somoza dictatorship with the Sandinista National Liberation Front. After living in exile in Latin America, she returned to Nicaragua to serve as the Vice-Minister of Culture for the new government. Zamora currently lives in Managua, Nicaragua, and San Francisco.